As all children return to educational settings in the context of COVID-19, we are anticipating an increase in demand from practitioners in the community who have safeguarding concerns about a child.

We want to make it simpler for practitioners to get the right support, at the right time, from the right service.

If you have urgent safeguarding concerns for a child or young person, please continue to call MASH on 01452 426565 and select option 3.

If you work with children and families and have safeguarding concerns which are not of an urgent nature and would like a conversation, please contact the Community Social Work Team on 01452 426263.

Alternatively, if you ring 01452 426565 and select option 2, you will be transferred to the Early Help service for their response. However, where possible, please contact the Community Social Work team in the first instance. 

If you are unable to get through to the Community Social Work Team straight away, please leave your name, contact details, and best time and date to call you back.

It is good practice to inform parents of your concerns and what action you are taking, unless you feel it would place somebody at increased risk of harm to do so.

If you are contacting the Community Social Work Team, they will support you to reflect on your worries, explore what needs to happen next, and complete a follow-up conversation with you at a later time and date to ensure that you feel confident in completing the agreed actions, as well as any support you may require around this.

If you are looking for information on Gloucestershire’s Local Offer information can be found by visiting our directory http://www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk . 

Further information on the Early help Graduated Pathway is also available on the directory.   Information is also available by contacting the Family Information Service on 01452 427362.

IMPORTANT UPDATES

(1) Early Help: Supporting practitioners in the use of the Neglect Toolkit
(2) MASH Children Services: Returning completed
(3) Neglect Neglect Toolkit multi-agency training        

“Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development……...” (Working Together 2018)

Neglect is characterised by the absence of a relationship of care between the parent/carer and the child; and the failure of the parent/carer to prioritise the needs of their child. It can occur at any stage of childhood, including the teenage years. It frequently poses a challenge for professionals because it requires looking at what ‘has not been done’.

Child neglect is a prominent feature in many of Gloucestershire’s local reviews as well as appearing disproportionately in national serious case reviews. National reviews highlight the ‘hidden nature of neglect’; and the importance of a structured judgement approach to it’s identification and understanding  which may often be subjective; with professionals varying  in their views of what is ‘good enough’.

The Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Executive (GSCE) promotes the use of the Gloucestershire Child Neglect Toolkit as a consistent multi-agency approach to working with neglect.

(1) Early Help: Supporting practitioners in the use of the Neglect Toolkit

The Multi Agency Child Neglect Toolkit is the tool used by all practitioners in Gloucestershire to assist with the early identification of children and young people at risk of neglect.  Using this toolkit will help practitioners reflect on the child or young person’s circumstances; identifying strengths and resources to support families whilst also evidencing the practitioner’s concerns.  The toolkit is designed to be used within a multi agency context therefore it is important that practitioners involve all the agencies who are working with the family in the completion of the toolkit. 

When practitioners in the community first become concerned about the risk of neglect, they should complete the Child Neglect Toolkit and submit it through a secure route (e.g. Egress) to the    

Neglect Toolkit Inbox: neglecttoolkit@gloucestershire.gov.uk

This should be done with the consent form signed by parents/carers. 

Once the toolkit and the signed consent form has been received a Community Social Worker will contact the practitioner to offer support with regards to the next steps. If the checklist indicates scores of 4 the practitioner should contact the Community Social Worker as soon as possible to discuss.  

However, if the practitioner has an urgent safeguarding concern, contact should be made with the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) immediately on 01452 426565 and select option 3.

(2) MASH Children Services: Returning completed Neglect Checklists

The MASH are asking all professionals who are referring children where neglect is a feature to use the GSCE Multi-Agency Child Neglect Tool Kit and complete and return the Checklist.

The MASH will need a completed Neglect Toolkit Checklist by all referring professionals, this is to:

• Achieve improved compliance with the GSCE Neglect Tool Kit
• Improve the quality of multi-agency referrals and information sharing
• Establish a structured judgement approach to the identification of child neglect
• Provide common tools for partner agencies to work together and in partnership with families to improve outcomes for children.

This is all about improving outcomes for children and families and is certainly not designed to be unhelpful or particularly onerous for professionals.  
Kevin Buck GCC MASH Head of Service

(3) Neglect Toolkit multi-agency training

Neglect Toolkit Training will continue to be offered to all practitioners in the community who work with children and their families. 

In due course, this training will be available through the GSCE virtual training platform – please watch out for further GSCE Alerts for New dates and how to register your interest in attending the neglect virtual training’.

Downloading the Neglect Toolkit and Checklist and other resources:

The Neglect Toolkit can be downloaded from the GSCE website by Clicking Here. Please ensure you use it every time you have a concern about a child or young person when neglect is suspected.

Please download and use the Neglect Toolkit Checklist. Click Here. The checklist will need to be shared within the community of practitioners and must be submitted with a MARF if a response from the MASH is required.

Be mindful to make use of the Gloucestershire Levels of Intervention document when completing the Toolkit, download by Clicking Here

The Early Help Practice Guidance document is also a useful Practice Guidance when working within communities with families, download by Clicking Here

There will be further Information - Alerts on Child Neglect and other themed safeguarding issues over the coming months.